Blah blah blah



Somehow this design doesn't work.  Looks like how I'd
draw it though.  Except it's a tragedy, so no smiling
faces. 



I have started the review of Wrigley Field.  It's going to take a little while to write, as I'm lacking focus.  I want to do the review, I just can't seem to focus on what I want to discuss.  It's meandering.  Like this paragraph. 

Anyway. 

I'm also designing a set for "All My Sons," opening in April at Wheaton Drama.  I think it's GORGEOUS in my mind.  I just can't make that appear on paper.  We will be able to build what I've imagined.  I just wish I could show someone in advance.  I suck at art though.  I need a sketch artist. 

Yesterday I seasoned the smoker.  I'm trying to figure out how to use it next weekend.  Smoked meat.  Yum. 

That's all. 

Whoa.  Ramblings from the tatters of my mind today. 

Ballpark Reviews: The wind up...



Damn.  That's a lot of stadia.  A lot of these don't exist anymore. 
See if you can get some of them.  (Bigger version here.)
Answer key at bottom.  (I got them all except 2)


The hardest part of starting something like I'm about to start is....starting.  The questions are all there:  What the hell do I think I am doing?  What will the focus be?  Am I comparing?  Am I educating?  Am I entertaining?  Hasn't this been done before, on myriad other blogs, and in a whole shitload of books, by other people?  Am I going to give ranking "stars" or something baseball related to these places, or am I just going to write an opinion and let it stand for the reader to decide how many "stars" I've given? 

Too many questions.  I'll answer them this way.  I'm going to write these however the hell I feel like writing them.  I'm going to try to be consistent in theme, features reviewed, etc.; but I make no guarantee that will be the case.  I'll try to be funny.  I will probably FAIL at being funny, but I'll probably make myself laugh. 

Some absolute truths: 

1.  The links I provide are part of the writing.  Sometimes they are a joke.  Sometimes they are a poignant illustration.  Sometimes they are information you can research on your own.  Whatever.  It's part of the story.  Please take the time to click on them.  

2.   The opinions expressed are mine, and mine alone.  I encourage ANYONE interested in the various Major League Stadia in this country (and Canada) to go and form your own opinion.  I hope to provide the reader with some information - and maybe I can get some feedback on things I've missed. 

3.   I think I'm going to switch my choice in language to "Stadiums."  I've grown tired of the (albeit correct) usage of the word "Stadia."   No one uses it, and it makes me sound like a pompous ass.  Which I am.  OK, check that, I reserve the right to switch back and forth as I see fit. 

4.   I'm going to review the following ballparks where I have watched games, but which no longer exist:  Yankee Stadium (the old one); Shea Stadium; Busch Stadium II (the one that closed after 2005 - there was an older Busch Stadium believe it or not) and (old) Comiskey Park.  The problem with reviewing these places is that these are memories taken from before this blog was even a glint in my eye, so I may not have information on some of the things that I'll be reviewing in other places.  Fortunately, I have a photographic memory, so what memories I do have should be sound. 




There is nothing about this design that says "baseball"
to me.   This totally sucks.  Sun Life Stadium in Miami.

 

5.   Eventually, given my continued interest in this, I will have my own personal reviews posted for every current Major League Stadium.  It may take 10 years, but I will finish this.  For me, if for no one else.   Hell, who knows, maybe there's a book deal for something like this? 

6.   I have not decided if I need to get down to Sun Life Stadium (see right) in Miami this year to watch the Marlins play.  I know they are getting a new place next year, and I really don't know if I need to see them play on a field that was absolutely not designed for baseball.  P'raps I'll take an opinion poll, because I cannot make up my mind on this.  I'm completely ambivalent, which is a very unusual place for me to be.  

7.   No talk of beer.  I don't drink, so I can't offer an opinion on beer prices, taste, flatness, etc.  Don't ask, because it ain't gonna be here.      

8.   I will talk about the (this link is a little gross) bathrooms.  Sorry.  When you gotta pee, you gotta know with what you're dealing.  That's gonna be necessary information.

9.   The names will be the current names.  I know no one in Cleveland wants to call it Progressive Field, but that's what it's called.  Wrigley Field is a corporate name.  Get over it. 

So there it is.  The ground rules are in place.

Before the week's out I will post my review of the place my favorite team plays:  Wrigley Field.

Thanks for your interest.



However, this view of Sun Life Stadium doesn't totally suck.  Ambivalence defined.

And if you care about the photo at the top (and which ones don't exist {or don't exist for baseball}) these are the stadiums and their occupants:

First row l-r:  Great American Ballpark (Reds); Chase Field (Diamondbacks); Dodger Stadium (Dodgers); Minute Maid Park (Astros); AT&T Park (Giants); Sun Life Stadium (Marlins)

Second row l-r:  Citizens Bank Park (Phillies); Petco Park (Padres); Turner Field (Braves); Coors Field (Rockies); Wrigley Field (Cubs); PNC Park (Pirates)

Third row l-r:  RFK Stadium (Nationals - no longer in service - soccer only facility); Busch Stadium (Cardinals - no longer standing); Miller Park (Brewers); Shea Stadium (Mets - no longer standing); Safeco Field (Mariners); Rogers Centre (Blue Jays)

Fourth row l-r:  Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (Twins - no longer in service - still used by Minn. Vikings); Oriole Park at Camden Yards (Orioles); Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (A's); Tropicana Field (Rays); U.S. Cellular Field (White Sox); Fenway Park (Red Sox)

Fifth row l-r:  Kauffman Stadium (Royals); Progressive Field (Indians); Angel Stadium of Anaheim (Angels); Comerica Park (Tigers); Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Rangers); Yankee Stadium (Yankees - no longer standing)

A reflection on calling a man "womanly."

Full disclosure:  I use the term "pussy" when describing someone who is fearful.  It is a common usage of the word.  I don't (in my mind) translate that to mean "womanly" but there are many who do.  Perhaps that is the connotation, and I need to think about my use of the word.  (A little tip for those of you thinking of researching the word - typing "pussy" into Google reveals a lot of links that don't help with etymology.  Who'da thunk it?)

Maybe it's me, but they'll never be the
"weaker sex" in my mind.

I will never understand how calling a man a woman is an insult.  I'll use an example. 

One of the most vile moments I can recall from Chicago Sports Talk Radio is when Jonathan Hood described Mets' pitcher Shawn Estes as "wearing Kotex." 

I'll bore you with the details.  In the World Series of 2000, Roger Clemens of the Yankees threw a pitch.  Mike Piazza of the Mets hit the pitch, shattering his bat, the barrel of which flew all the way to Roger Clemens.  Roger Clemens, being of even temperament, and absolutely NOT on steroids, picked up the offending piece of bat that Piazza had OBVIOUSLY intended to break off towards him, and threw it at Mike Piazza as he ran towards first.  Clemens was dead wrong.  He had no business doing what he did, and the Mets owed him some payback. 

Since the offense took place in Yankee Stadium, and since Roger Clemens didn't have to bat in that game as a result of being in Yankee Stadium, and since Clemens didn't wind up pitching at Shea Stadium in that World Series, there was no opportunity for Major League payback - which translates to:  plunking Roger Clemens.
 

Just a bit outside.

Fast forward to June 15, 2002.  Roger Clemens is pitching at Shea Stadium in a regular season game for the first time since the incident.  He has to bat in the game.  EVERYONE who knows ANYTHING about baseball knows that Roger Clemens will be hit by the first pitch he sees in the batter's box.  Shawn Estes, the pitcher for the Mets, throws the pitch.  But he throws it wide of Clemens' ample ass, and misses him completely.  The home plate umpire issues the warning to both benches that the next pitch that is thrown at someone (intentional or not) will result in an ejection of the pitcher who threw it, negating Estes' chance to fix his mistake, and the game goes on without incident.  The opportunity was there, and it was missed. 

Jonathan Hood, a WSCR personality at the time, goes on a rant about Shawn Estes' pitch, and about Estes in general.  He calls him a wimp.  Then he uttered the phrase about "wearing Kotex." 

I don't know JHood.  I don't like his radio show, and never have.  That much I know. 

This much I also know.  Anyone who equivocates "wearing Kotex" with weakness is a pussy.  Pure and simple.  I know that if my insides decided to purge themselves once a month, I'd have found out how to stop it.  And quick.  Hysterectomy, gun in the mouth (I'm KIDDING), whatever.  I'm not a big fan of recurring pain.  I really dislike cramps, and I especially don't like headaches and feeling bloated.  And childbirth?  Please. 

JHood is probably like me.  Therefore, calling a man a woman as a taunt makes him a pussy.  Because he's scared to figure out a better insult. 

Any other man doing so - to me - is just exactly that. 

Baseball stadia and the critic in me....

Actual picture of an actual wedding.

I've been reviewing Chicago Steakhouses (each one of those blue words is a separate link) here, and it's been a lot of fun looking forward to getting to go to some of these places.  February 12th can't get here fast enough for the trip to Gibson's.  I'm actually going to (2) on the list in March - Morton's for my birthday, and Wildfire as a dinner before an evening of theatre at the Lookingglass.  I'm only reviewing Wildfire.  I'm saving Morton's for our anniversary month (October). 

I'm getting off my point. 

As you may know, I'm a bit of a critic.  I am opinionated.  I'm vocal.  Fuck it.  I'm a fucking critic.  It's what I do. 

As you also may know, I've talked exhaustively about baseball and baseball stadia. 

Let's hope Barrett and Brady get better care
than this.

So.  I'm going to start a series of reviews of the stadia I've attended.  Some are going to be sketchy, and some of the places don't exist anymore, but I'm putting it out there for you.  Well.  For me, really.  This is my diary.  Maybe someday my sons will read it, and say "Fuck, Dad said "Fuck" a lot more than I thought he did.  Plus, he wrote all this stuff about where he went.  That therapist bill for neglect is easily explained by this." 

So, starting sometime this month, I'll be posting, at random times, my thoughts on the stadia where I've attended Major League Ballgames.

As batting practice:  here's a link to a bunch of quotes I sent in to Yahoo! during their failed series: Big League Stew's Big Ballpark Review. 

Hope you enjoy my wit in the Yahoo! thing.  I really hate Wrigley Field.  Mostly.  I'll write that one first.

A little political....

For your morning constitutional....

This is a great article.  Some of the commentary at the bottom is also fascinating. 

I recently....

Not actually Don Henley.  Or Glenn Frey.  Or any lesser Eagle.
But I work for Eagle Concrete....

Learned how to play "Hotel California" on the guitar. 

I'm no Don Henley, but I can pass while singing it, which is good.  Take that back.  The chorus is a stretch.  And a strain. 

Anyway - while I was singing it my wife asked me, "What are colitas?"  You know - "Warm smell of colitas rising up through the air..." 

See if you know the answer.

SPOILER ALERT.

It's here in this article if you want to know.

Do you wanna...

have some interwebs fun? 

Read the comments following this article. 

I'll take "Completely missing the point for 1000 please, Alex." 

For my two cents - I think Nena Simone for "Point of No Return" stands up to this test, but apparently was not one of the author's favorites. 

It's a shame...

That it basically took him dying for us to get more out of Roger Ebert than his movie reviews. 

I do enjoy his musings though. 

This one is really good.

I have a feeling....

I'm gonna write a big long essay about the shooting in Arizona. 

You've been warned. 

I don't really know where it came from...

But this afternoon I had a spike of 25 viewers of this here blog in an hour. 

If you were one of them, thank you. 

I really, really appreciate it. 

I've been trying to avoid....

Posting the last couple days to keep my review of Keefer's at the top of the blog...but....

Andrew Sullivan has an incredible series of experiences he's been publishing lately called "The Missing." 

The above is one post in it.  Try to find them all.  It's heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time.  This is when Sullivan is at his best. 

Keefer's Restaurant - Miss Chicago Steakhouse for January

Yeah, I've driven by this place about 1,000,000 times.  Never knew it was there.

 

Well, here we are at the second of my reviews of Chicago Steakhouses.  I hope you enjoyed my review of Joe's.  Today's topic is Keefer's, located at 20 West Kinzie (at Dearborn), in the River North area, directly across the street from Harry Caray's.  Once you see it, you say "Shit, I've seen that place a million times, but never gone in....that's a steak place?  Really?  Maybe I should stop in...."

Amy and I got reservations there for New Year's Eve at 6 p.m.  Yeah, boring time, but I'm not really hip with being out all night on New Year's.  I prefer a quiet evening at home, or with friends.  Since I was doing this series, I decided that maybe this year we should go out. 

 

For the record:  one of the places I was most looking forward to was Keefer's.  I had read many great things about it, especially about the steaks, and I was really looking forward to it. 

Also:  as promised, every photo in this post with the exception of the one of the steak was taken by me (or in the case of Amy and me at the end - by the waiter).   

Romantic Christmas dining

The facade is a mixture of chrome and glass.  It's attached to the Amalfi hotel, and it definitely has a hip feel when you approach it.  Upon entering, we were greeted by the owner, Glenn Keefer, who works the Maitre d' station.  He welcomed us to the restaurant, and got us to our table immediately.  Architecturally, the restaurant is a circle with two wings built off of it.  It feels small when you are sitting down, but a good look around tells you the place isn't small.  I liked that.  It felt private while still being a place capable of seating a bunch of hungry folks. 

We were seated in the bar area, which has a curved glass curtain wall with raised platform booths overlooking Dearborn St.  The place had been decorated for Christmas very tastefully.  There were balloons around for New Year's.  The wood is cherry, and there's lots of it.  The two "wings" of the restaurant feature a bunch of old radios on the shelves, owing to investors Larry Wert's and Jimmy de Castro's ties to Chicago radio.  Surprisingly, for a bar area, I didn't feel like we were eating in the bar.  Yes, there was a parade of people through the place, but again, it just felt so intimate, it didn't really affect me. 

I really don't think the water tasted
any better, but it's a nice presentation.

Service at Keefer's is very attentive.  As soon as we were seated, a waiter brought a hand blown blue bottle of cold water and two hand blown blue glasses.  Amy said they made the water taste better.  I don't know if I concur with that assessment, but it was a very nice touch.  We were also presented with a small basket of breads, including a pretzel roll that is....delicious.  I did have one quibble early on in the meal.  As a non-drinker, it is very annoying to occasionally get the grunt, or sigh, or pregnant pause when I order a Diet Coke as my beverage.  It happened at Keefer's.  I know it's New Year's Eve, but there are a few of us out there who don't drink, for whatever reason.  Don't make it seem like a hassle to you that I won't rack up a big ol' bar tab.  

After being explained the specials for the evening, Amy and I were given a few minutes to decide on our orders.  I'm glad I took the time, even though I knew what I wanted LONG before we got to the restaurant (Thanks Interwebs).  During the additional time, I noticed that while the House Salad came with a mustard vinaigrette dressing - there were OTHER dressings available for the salad.  I noticed that there was kind of a big deal made about the Thousand Island dressing on another salad, so I substituted that onto my salad.  THAT was a very good choice.  The dressing was amazing.  AND...the house salad is ONLY LETTUCE.  I was in picky eater heaven.  They use a Boston bibb lettuce, which is very delicate, along with some endive and radicchio - combine that with the dressing, and you have a salad that was VERY pleasing to this carnivore.  Amy had the Shrimp Gumbo, which was the soup of the day.  I tried a little of it, and it had a nice flavor with a little afterkick that kind of announced its presence a few seconds after it hit your mouth.   

We also ordered our entrees.  I went with the Bone In Ribeye - and in the ordering process I made a mistake.  I have been programmed through 20+ years of eating subpar steaks to order medium well by default.  In the last few years, I have gone to better establishments, and discovered a love of medium rare steaks.  I said to our waiter "medium well" but immediately corrected myself.  I know he got the message, because he asked me if I wanted the steak red and warm throughout, which is the definition of medium rare.  For those of you who skipped English in high school...what's happening now is a literary technique known as foreshadowing.

Amy ordered the Roast Venison Loin off the specials menu, which came with a huckleberry sauce.  For my side (and indeed to share) I ordered the Pommes Frites, which is French for fried potatoes, or French Fries.  There was a reason for this particular side dish order.  When I went to Peter Luger's a couple years ago, I had been told to order the German Fried Potatoes, which was more like a potato salad.  I'm not that big a fan of potato salad, so I was left wanting after trying it.  I watched the waiter bring an enormous pile of steak fries to another table, and immediately wished we had gotten them instead.  While prepping for Keefer's, I watched this video, and I thought, based on the presentation, that the fries were special.  I decided that if that big a deal was made of them, I wasn't passing them up at this place, like I had at Luger's.  Did you catch that?  If you were paying attention - that's foreshadowing.

This is the only photo here from the web.
Wish MY steak had looked like this.

Shortly after finishing our appetizers, our entrees arrived.  Amy's venison was beyond tender...and also appeared to be cooked really, really rare.  Like, bordering on venison tartare.  I sampled a little bit of it, and it was really, really good.  It almost melted in your mouth.  Amy was very pleased with her order.  My steak came, and my first bite was great.  Charred to perfection, a whole bunch of flavor, and a very nice texture.  Then I got a little further into the steak.  What should have been red was pinkish brown.  Yeah, I got a medium well to well done steak, having ordered medium rare.  Owing to the occasion, our long day that we'd already logged, the ticking clock on our babysitter (my sister - thanks Cindy), and the fact that I definitely did order medium well before I corrected myself, I didn't want to wait for a new steak.  So, I went ahead and ate my overcooked entree.  I will say, for a medium well steak, it was VERY good...but it wasn't what I wanted.  I probably should have sent it back.  I wish I had.  I've since written the restaurant, so we'll see how they handle it, but I was disappointed in that. 

The other disappointment was the Pommes Frites.  Wheaton Bowl used to have a Fish Fry on Friday evenings when I was a kid.  All you could eat whitefish and french fries.  We went probably 5-6 times a year.  Know why I bring that up now?  Because that's PRECISELY what the fries at Keefer's tasted like.  Not a bad thing, but at 7 bucks an order....I guess I was expecting more.  If we decide to go back, I'll have a baked potato next time. 



Must eat the pudding if the Chef recommends it....



After we finished our meals, I had some really good coffee, then perused the dessert menu.  The waiter advised us that the chef recommended the chocolate pudding and the cheesecake.  I got the pudding, Amy got the cheesecake.  Both were very, very good.  The pudding was a bittersweet chocolate, which was nice after a filling meal.  Too sugary would have been a downer at that point. 

The meal was over.  We had been in there nearly two hours, never feeling rushed, and we got out of the place for a little less than $170 (tip included). 

Amy's cheesecake.

A couple of other notes before I sum up. 



The bathroom stalls go from about 4 inches off the floor to about 4 inches off the ceiling.  Using them feels like a private room.  Nice touch. 

The wait staff really does its job well. 

The chef can be seen wandering through the restaurant, and as I said, the owner greets you at the door. 

The crowd is lively, but not loud. 

All in all, Keefer's was a very, very nice experience.  I'd like to go back and get my steak done correctly, as I've read many reviews that say they have the best steaks in town.  I'm not sure we will, though.  If it comes down to a choice between Keefer's and Joe's while we're downtown - well, this couple is probably going to Joe's. 


Happy New Year.  We're out on New Year's!  Alert the media...



NEXT MONTH:  Gibson's in Rosemont.

I love these animals

Sharks are awesome. 

2010 In Review

This blog is mine.  I don't know how long it's going to be in existence, but I'm going to use it as a diary kinda thing.  I'm writing a "year in review" for myself.  Read it if you like.  This post is just for me.  So in 10 years, I can reflect. 

In 2010 I, or my family, managed to:

Stay sober another 365 days.

Watch my youngest son turn 1 year old.

Watch my oldest son go to school for the first time.

See 8 Major League baseball games in 6 different stadia (Wrigley, US Cellular, Miller Park, Camden Yards, Citizen's Bank and Nationals Park), with a total of 11 teams represented.



Your pilot and his crew.



Watch another team that had never won the World Series in my lifetime - win the World Series in my lifetime - before my Cubs did. 

Fly an airplane.  Yep.  Fly an airplane. 

Start my series of reviews of Chicago Steakhouses.

Start this blog.

Stay employed.

Spend 365 days without any major commitment to a theatre project.   It was long overdue.

Buy an electric guitar and start learning how to play some lead.

Reconnect (such as it is) with a bunch of friends from long ago through Facebook.

Sing "Who Can I Turn To?" solo in public. 

Watch my oldest son ride a bicycle for the first time.  Wish it interested him more, but he's gonna get it. 

Pay way too little to do some landscaping at my house, thanks to our company's accountant.

Add a niece to the stable of nieces and nephews we already had.  That's 4 nieces and 2 nephews now.

Awwwwwww.  Little Krista.

Buy a smoker.  In December.  Summer should feature many, many smoked meals.

See stitches put into one of my children for the first time.  Brady, you silly, silly boy.

Grow a goatee.  Again.  By request - that was a first. 

Eat dinner in the Signature Room at the Hancock. 

Eat crab cakes in Baltimore. 

Meet Boog Powell, Greg Luzinski, Gaylord Perry, Bill Buckner and Ernie Banks.  Also ran into Fergie Jenkins, whom I had met before. 

Tour the home in which Babe Ruth was born.

Visit Washington D.C. for the first time. 

While I was there, I kicked it over at Barack's place.

Kick Edgar Allan Poe('s grave).

See original, real life Muppets of Miss Piggy, Rowlf, Mahna Mahna, the Snowths, Bert, Ernie, a few others you don't know, a couple of Fraggles - and Kermit. 

Take my son to his first real grown-up theatre experience:  "Shrek:  The Musical."



Among the finest baseball foods I've had. 

Eat Ben's Chili Bowl's "Chili half smoke all the way."  Delicious. 

Watch Roy Halladay pitch (and get the win). 

Throw a pitch (a strike) from a Major League bullpen mound.  (Lots of baseball stuff here....it was a big baseball year)

Play catch in the Wrigley Field outfield with my two sons and my father. 

Celebrate 7 years of marriage to my beautiful wife Amy.

Eat cheesesteak at Pat's King of Steaks.  Again. 

Buy a minivan.  Yep.  SUV and a Minivan.  Middle class suburban?  Yep, that's me.

Get my name on a Major League Scoreboard.  I was on the Jumbotron at Soldier Field in 2001, so now, I think I'm good...for now. 



Aw, you shouldn't have.  But thank you Phillies!



Enjoy another fantastic Christmas.

See "The Wall" live.  Big highlight of the year.

Feel just how little padding the ivy provides at Wrigley Field.  (none, in case you were wondering)

See (for the first time) the following future Hall of Famers play baseball:  Halladay, Ichiro, Manny, Vizquel and Trevor Hoffman.

Also got to see (for the first time) Mauer and Ryan Howard, who could be potential HOF members if they continue on their current paths.

See Paul Konerko hit a triple.  In the same game:  Vizquel made an error and Manny went 0-3 with 3 strikeouts.  All of these are ridiculously unlikely events mathematically.  All of them occurring in one game is astronomical in terms of probability.  Here's the boxscore if you don't believe me.  I was there.  In other news, flying pigs were spotted all over Chicago. 

See "Avenue Q" again.

Realize how lucky I am 365 days a year.  I'm the luckiest boy alive.

Happy New Year!  Let's make 2011 even better than 2010!





 

In case you haven't seen it....

Here's an article my beautiful wife wrote about me and our household.

Hey! If you like baseball, here's a great....

article filled with a bunch of incredible links.  Could take you hours. 

Coming soon:  Review of Keefer's Restaurant and my personal Year in Review.